English: English MA

Master of Arts

Program Description

The Master of Arts program offers broad coverage in British, Canadian, Aboriginal, American, and postcolonial literatures, a sophisticated command of current theoretical approaches, and exceptional preparation and intellectual support for significant research.

The MA in English degree program is offered in 10 fields: 9 fields have the same requirements, while the field of Creative Writing has different requirements.

The MA program can be taken on a full-time or part-time basis except in the Creative Writing field, which is taken on a full-time basis only. Requirements for the Creative Writing field are described in a separate section below.

 

Fields:
1) American Literature; 2) Aspects of Theory; 3) Canadian Literature; 4) Medieval Literature; 5) Renaissance Literature; 6) Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Literature; 7) Romantic and Victorian Literature; 8) Twentieth and Twenty-First Century British and Irish Literature; 9) World Literatures in English

Minimum Admission Requirements

  • Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Department of English's additional admission requirements stated below.
  • A minimum of 7 full-year undergraduate courses in English or the equivalent in half-year courses (i.e., 14), or any combination of full- and half-year courses that add up to the equivalent of 7 full-year courses in English.
  • An appropriate bachelor's degree (i.e., a four-year undergraduate degree), or its equivalent (preferably in English), with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of B+ or better and evidence of first-class work in English. The department favours a broad training in the major genres and all periods of English literary history.
  • Recommendations from two referees.
  • A statement of purpose.
  • A writing sample consisting of 12 to 15 pages. The writing sample should be an accomplished piece of the applicant's own academic writing, such as an advanced undergraduate seminar paper. See details about the writing sample.
  • Applicants whose primary language is not English and who graduated from a university where the language of instruction and examination was not English are required to write the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Minimum scores required are:
    • 600 on the paper-based test and 5 on the Test of Written English (TWE).
    • 100/120 on the Internet-based test, with at least 22/30 on the writing and speaking sections.
  • Admissions are selective; possession of minimum qualifications does not guarantee admission.

Program Requirements

  • Coursework. Students must successfully complete a total of 4.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) as follows:
    • ENG6999Y Critical Topographies: Theory and Practice of Contemporary Literary Studies in English (1.0 FCE).
    • 3.0 approved graduate FCEs in English.
  • Students must attain a minimum B standing in each graduate course.

Program Length

3 sessions full-time (typical registration sequence: F/W/S);
9 sessions part-time

Time Limit

3 years full-time;
6 years part-time

 

Field: Creative Writing

Minimum Admission Requirements

  • Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Department of English's additional admission requirements stated below.
  • A minimum of 7 full-year undergraduate courses in English or the equivalent in half-year courses (i.e., 14), or any combination of full- and half-year courses that add up to the equivalent of 7 full-year courses in English.
  • An appropriate bachelor's degree (i.e., a four-year undergraduate degree), or its equivalent (preferably in English), with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of B+ or better and evidence of first-class work in English. The department favours a broad training in the major genres and all periods of English literary history.
  • Recommendations from two referees.
  • A statement of purpose.
  • A portfolio consisting of 20 to 25 pages of prose (drama, fiction, or creative non-fiction), and/or poetry. See details about the format of creative writing portfolio submissions.
  • Applicants whose primary language is not English and who graduated from a university where the language of instruction and examination was not English are required to write the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Minimum scores required are:
    • 600 on the paper-based test and 5 on the Test of Written English (TWE).
    • 100/120 on the Internet-based test, with at least 22/30 on the writing and speaking sections.
  • Admissions are selective; possession of minimum qualifications does not guarantee admission.

Program Requirements

  • Coursework. Students must successfully complete a total of 3.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) as follows:
    • ENG6950Y Workshop in Creative Writing (1.0 FCE). All students must complete the Workshop in Creative Writing in Year 1 of their program.
    • 2.0 approved FCEs in English.
  • Students must attain a minimum B standing in each graduate course.
  • Supervised Writing Project (the equivalent of a thesis). Upon completion of coursework, students undertake a book-length Writing Project in a genre of their choice: poetry, drama, fiction, or creative non-fiction. Each student is assigned a faculty member or adjunct faculty member with whom to consult on a regular basis about the project. All advisors are published writers.
  • The MA Creative Writing program cannot be taken on a part-time basis.

Program Length

5 sessions full-time (typical registration sequence: F/W/S/F/W)

Time Limit

3 years full-time